[MR] More about awards

[TJ Brunzie]

> Nearly 20 years ago, when the BoD was still more or less a wholly owned
> subsidiary of California, the BoD decided that too many groups were
> refusing to advance to Baronial status and/or were opting to advance as
> (recognized by Corpora) entities without a ruling noble.  They felt that
> 200 member shires like Rieslingshire were a Bad Thing.  (This was
> when you
> only needed 100 to go kingdom, you understand.)  They also felt that
> Provinces like those particularly popular east of the Mississippi were a
> Bad Thing.

But why force groups to go Barony?

And why *don't* groups like Shires get some sort of ceremonial figure head?
Not necessarily a 'ruling noble', per se; but I really think smaller groups
would do better with some sort of charismatic leader to identify with.  So
if a shire were to decide it wanted a Reeve, could it elect a Reeve?
(Leaving
aside the question now of whether the Reeve could give out awards, since
Vard showed that he or she couldn't.)  I imagine the Reeve wouldn't receive
any 'official' recognition, and perhaps wouldn't be acknowledged outside
the Shire.

And before anybody starts wondering just *what* Violante is up to - it's
a theoretical question.  We had this discussion in Roxbury Mill a year or
more ago, and decided against a Reeve.  But I have always been curious
what the rest of the Known World would have done, if...

Cheers,
Doña Violante